Question

How can I convince my daughter to bundle up when it's cold?

Share

My 2-year-old absolutely refuses to wear her winter coat, hat, boots, and gloves. She'll wear layers and a light jacket with a hood, but that's not good enough for playing outside in the bitter New England cold. I don't want to keep her inside all winter, but if she won't wear her warm clothes, I may have no choice. How can I convince her that she needs to bundle up?

Mom Answers

I believe in letting kids learn by natural consequences. When my 4 year old was 3 he went through a phase where he refused to wear a coat. It was a daily battle for 3 weeks. One day I just gave up. He went outside with no coat... it was 10 degrees and snowing. He came back to the 15 minutes later asking for his coat. Now he puts on his coat willingly when I tell him it's cold. Every so often he has to 'test' again to see if I know what I'm talking about... but he usually comes back for his coat within 30 minutes. Most of the time I never have to remind him to get his coat... he looks outside and if it looks cold he'll go get the coat on his own. By letting kids learn through natural consequences, they 'internalize' what they learn better and remember it better for future use. In this case, he wears a coat because he's cold, not because 'mommy said so'.

My 4 year old likes to wear dresses to preschool, even when it is snowing outside. At first I made her wear pants and coat, etc. Finally I got tired of the the power struggle and let her wear whatever and eventually she got tired of freezing everytime she went outside. Today she got all dress by herself and I am pleased to say that she wore a long sleeved shirt and jeans and a jacket on top of that. My point is that if you stop making the jacket snow suit thing a big deal, it will probably stop becoming one. Your daughter is two and I am pretty sure that it the age when they really start asserting thier independance.

My three year old son is the same -- in fact, he insisted on wearing summer shorts and shirts until I took them all out of his room and hid them in the attic!
The rule is, you have to wear a coat outside. But you don't have to zip up, wear snowpants, hats or mittens. And then, if you get cold -- or all wet because you refuse to wear snowpants, etc. then you go inside -- period -- and outside play is over for that session. I figure that eventually, ending play will feel worse than dressing appropriately. And it gets me off the hood for having to run in the house and dress him a second time because he didn't listen/plan well the first time. And it's all his choice.

Good morning,
My situation is a little different my soon to be 3 year old daughter won't wear any clothes at all. I'm worried that she's turning into a nudist. She strips down to nothing everywhere grampas house, walmart, outside. All day long it is a struggle to keep clothes on her. Her brother (20 months) is now starting to copy her. I am at my wits end with dressing her 10 times a day I know I am the boss but she is so independant. She will however wear her rubber boots 24 hours a day.

I read all the suggestions with interest and agree with most that your child needs to know who is in charge. I was alarmed to read D's comments though that spanking seems to do the trick. It's a shame that a web-site that gives such sound advice (parenting without resorting to violence) would allow these types of e-mails through.

Don't give in. We live in New England and it can be 20 below with the wind chill. If you give in to the coat issue, be prepared for SEVERAL other confrontations to arrise. Been there, regretting it now with a 3 1/2 yr old. If it's not the coat, it'll be the clothing, the bowl he eats from, the blanket on the bed, the hat, etc. You'll never get out of the house. Be firm.

Maybe there is something wrong with the coat like she is getting pinched. Or she is just being a typical two year old. I am use to very cold winters with kids layers are good, and then just put some rain gear over it to keep out the cold and wind.

I live in NH and it gets very cold but I always remove the jackets and hats in the car and in the stores. First the car seats are not as safe when you cant have the straps tight enough in the proper place and second it is a heated car. So when I tell my son just to wear it to the car and than he can take it off he is fine I know he just wants to be comfortable and I don't blame him. I feel bad when I see these babies all bundled up in walmart. It is not to much work to remove the outerwear and put it on again for their comfort. jmo One time it was very cold and my 2 year old would not put it on so I just brought him out without it and brought it with me in case he decided to make a better choice. This is how they learn at a young age how to make good choices.

Hi, I have the same problem. We have distinctive seasons here so we have to adjust to wearing cold weather clothing and then back to the warm weather clothes. Add to that the two-year-old quirkiness about dressing and you have lots of battles. I find that my older son always put up a fuss for a couple weeks and then when he realized that it was actually cold he got the message. A good trick I found (and I saw it suggested by someone else here) was to let him choose his own coat, mittens, at the store. It's amazing what a cool hat with Spiderman will do. A coat with a favorite character is a definite draw.

We are here in new england too and my two year old hates his too. Sometimes if we are just walking to the car I let him win since it won't hurt you catch a cold from germs not from a quick walk to the car. If he wants to go in the snow he has to put snow stuff on or he don't go. He cries and throws a fit but a few min after seeing Dad and brother outside he askes me to help him dress.

This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.